Neuropsychological Test Profile of Compulsive Buying Behavior: A Study on 50-Year-Old and Over Consumers

This study aims to contribute to the literature by identifying the neuropsychological test profile of compulsive buying behaviour among consumers aged 50 and above. Designed as a case-control study, the research was conducted at the Neurology Outpatient Clinic of Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine and completed with 66 participants—33 in the case group and 33 in the control group. The Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE), the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview (MIDI), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and the Stroop Test-Capa Form (ST) were administered to assess executive functions. At the same time, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was used to evaluate decision-making behaviour. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and chi-square, Shapiro-Wilk, independent samples t-test (for normally distributed data), and MannWhitney U test (for non-normally distributed data) were employed in the analyses. The WCST sub-scores—total number of errors, number of categories completed, total number of perseverative responses, total number of non-perseverative errors, percentage of perseverative errors, number of reactions to complete the first category, and number of conceptual level responses—differed significantly between groups. Similarly, significant differences were observed between groups in the completion times, number of errors, and spontaneous corrections in the first three sections of the ST, as well as in the net scores of the third, fourth, and fifth blocks of the IGT. The findings indicate that the compulsive buying group demonstrated lower executive function and decision-making performance compared to the control group. The results were discussed in the context of existing literature, and recommendations were proposed.